Yono and the Celestial Elephants

Yono and the Celestial Elephants combines interesting story and fun gameplay into a title that is fun for everyone. While many won't find anything in the game particularly challenging it still remains an entertaining experience.

68%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, atmosphere

84% User Score Based on 200 reviews

Critic Score 69%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $1.93

Buy NowGet on Steam$14.99

Buy NowGet on itch.io Store$14.99

About

"Yono and the Celestial Elephants" is an adventure game where you play as a young celestial elephant, Yono, tasked to save a world full of humans, undead, and robots. Use your trunk to solve puzzles, load it up with various items for different effects, and explore towns, dungeons, forests, and caves to find treasures and upgrades. Engage in a sprinkling of combat and discover the rich history of the kingdom.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Yono and the Celestial Elephants screenshot

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 203 reviews

story14 positive mentions

grinding14 negative mentions

Yono is incredibly cute and charming, making it a delightful experience for players of all ages.
The puzzles are generally satisfying and enjoyable, providing a laid-back gaming experience.
The game features a colorful art style and a catchy soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere.

The controls can be clunky and frustrating, especially when using a keyboard, leading to some gameplay issues.
Some puzzles can be overly simplistic, which may not appeal to players looking for a challenge.
There are bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including issues with puzzle resets and hit detection.

story
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
72%
8%
The story in the game is described as simple and cute, with some players appreciating its charm and depth, while others find it dry or overly blunt in its handling of themes. Side quests are primarily fetch quests, which can feel tedious, and the dialogue may not engage all players, particularly adults. Overall, the narrative offers a mix of lighthearted adventure and deeper themes, appealing mainly to a younger audience.
- “The story and dialogue surprised me in a good way.”
- “The soundtrack is adorable, the graphics are adorable, the story is adorable... so much thought was put into the lore.”
- “Yono and the Celestial Elephants combines interesting story and fun gameplay into a title that is fun for everyone.”
- “If you really like to read, then go ahead, but the story kind of felt dry to me, so I just kept skipping and skipping and skipping the dialogue whenever it showed up, which made a certain city's fetch quest bonanza pretty annoying at first.”
- “It is presented as something that could pass for a fun and colorful adventure, but in reality it quickly gets bogged down by a lot of plot about death and such matters, which fails to be interesting and instead only felt jarring to me.”
- “I have almost no idea about the story in the game other than the fact that there seems to be undead characters and live humans, and everyone thinks that elephants are deity-like creatures that have never graced the world until your character shows up... despite your elephant talking in the same language and also being generic/nonsensical.”
gameplay
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
68%
15%
The gameplay of "Yono and the Celestial Elephants" is characterized by simple puzzle mechanics, primarily revolving around block-pushing and basic combat, which some players find tedious and lacking in depth. While the game features charming visuals and a pleasant atmosphere, it suffers from control issues and a lack of engaging mechanics, making it feel repetitive for some. Overall, it offers a light-hearted experience suitable for younger audiences, but may not hold the interest of more seasoned gamers.
- “This game is cute, with happy music, enjoyable but never too difficult puzzles, and keeps introducing little twists to the game puzzle mechanics at a nice pace.”
- “The gameplay itself is fairly simple puzzle/adventure, with some basic combat, that is pretty fun, including the boss fights - it's never overly challenging, but nor can you play it in your sleep.”
- “Gameplay is simplistic so far but also has tight controls, a decent soundtrack, and charming characters.”
- “It's oddly tedious to play, partly because of the dodgy keyboard controls that I shouldn't have been using, but mostly because the game doesn't really have an identity of its own gameplay-wise.”
- “The gameplay revolves entirely around block-pushing puzzles, so if you like those, then great, but otherwise it's a chore.”
- “Yono clearly looks well-polished in appearance and sound, which drew me in to give it a try, but the gameplay itself is pretty tedious and also extremely glitchy, while whatever plot exists is quite weird and not really interesting.”
music
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
49%
9%
The music in the game is generally well-received, described as cheerful, catchy, and fitting the game's cute aesthetic, though some players noted it can become repetitive over time. While the soundtrack is praised for its quality and charm, there are mentions of low-quality sound effects that contrast with the music's overall appeal. Many players expressed a desire for the ability to purchase the soundtrack, highlighting its enjoyable nature and contribution to the game's relaxing atmosphere.
- “The soundtrack is adorable, the graphics are adorable, the story is adorable... so much thought was put into the lore.”
- “With a wonderful soundtrack, I would certainly recommend this game for a relaxing adventure.”
- “This game is cute, with happy music, enjoyable but never too difficult puzzles, and keeps introducing little twists to the game puzzle mechanics at a nice pace.”
- “The music was okay, but started to get repetitive.”
- “It's all very mid-tier quality; nothing to write home about, but nothing bad either, just hopelessly middle of the road.”
- “The few things I would say negatively would be that some of the sound effects are fairly low-quality, which probably is only more noticeable because the music is so much better in contrast.”
graphics
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
68%
7%
The graphics of the game are consistently described as cute, colorful, and charming, making it appealing for its target demographic of young children. While some reviewers note that the visuals are simplistic and mid-tier, they also highlight the cheerful art style and fitting soundtrack that enhance the overall experience. Overall, the game's aesthetics contribute positively to its puzzle-solving adventure theme, making it a delightful choice for players seeking a lighthearted gaming experience.
- “The graphics are cute and colorful, the music is cheerful and fits the game well.”
- “The story is barebones but has two twists in it, and the setting and visuals make it one of the cutest games I have ever played.”
- “The soundtrack is adorable, the graphics are adorable, the story is adorable... so much thought was put into the lore.”
- “The graphics are cute and simple, and the puzzles seem to be on the easier side of things.”
- “-music, graphics, dialogue- it's all very mid-tier quality; nothing to write home about, but nothing bad either, just hopelessly middle of the road.”
- “On one hand the game's visuals, simplistic gameplay, easy difficulty scream that it's for kids.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, primarily due to repetitive fetch quests and a lack of engaging gameplay identity. While the hub transport system alleviates some backtracking, the overall experience is marred by glitchy controls and uninteresting plot elements, leading to a sense of monotony despite the game's short length. Some appreciate its simplicity for relaxation, but many feel it ultimately detracts from the enjoyment.
- “Yono clearly looks well-polished in appearance and sound, which drew me in to give it a try, but the gameplay itself is pretty tedious and also extremely glitchy, while whatever plot exists is quite weird and not really interesting.”
- “How can a game so short feel so tedious at times?”
- “Well... personally, I thought the gameplay was tedious after a while.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely praised for its cute and heartwarming humor, making it an ideal choice for players seeking a cheerful experience. Its colorful characters and lighthearted jokes appeal to gamers of all ages, contributing to a relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere. Overall, the humor is described as both funny and adorable, enhancing the game's charm.
- “It's a relaxing, cute game with colorful characters and a style of humor that gamers of all ages can enjoy.”
- “A very cute puzzle game with a good sense of humor.”
- “An adorable and funny Zelda-alike.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by its charming and adorable visuals, creating a relaxing environment that enhances the overall experience. Each location introduces new elements, contributing to a lighthearted and enjoyable ambiance, while the straightforward puzzles complement this serene setting without causing frustration. Overall, players appreciate how the atmosphere elevates their enjoyment, even if they typically do not favor this genre.
- “I don't normally like games like this, but the atmosphere of Yono's world ensured I had a good time.”
- “Every location adds something new - like ice cubes, balloons, chili peppers, etc. Most of the puzzles were pretty straightforward; some required a little bit of trying, but the overall difficulty is easy, which is fine as it doesn't disturb the relaxing atmosphere.”
- “There's two major things to judge this game on, gameplay and atmosphere.”
- “Regarding the game's atmosphere, you can probably tell from the video that everything in the game is adorable, and that generally follows along with the story where nothing particularly dire ever happens.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely regarded as an emotional experience, characterized by its cute, funny, and heartwarming elements that resonate deeply with players. Many users find it uplifting and wholesome, often leading to tears of joy, making it an ideal choice for those seeking a cheerful gaming experience.
- “It's cute, funny, and heartwarming; if you want to cheer up, then this is the perfect game for you.”
- “The most wholesome game ever made.”
- “I cried because of it.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development is highlighted by charming and cute designs, including playful interpretations of playmobil characters, friendly zombies, and the imaginative concept of elephants as mythical creatures, contributing to an engaging and whimsical atmosphere.
- “The character designs overall are pretty cute.”
- “The Playmobil character design is charming, the 'nice' zombies are a cute turn, and the idea of elephants as mythical creatures is fun.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
Overall, the game offers limited replayability, primarily appealing to players interested in collecting items or exploring missed areas. While the length of the game provides good value for its price, the lack of challenging puzzles and repetitive combat detracts from the incentive to replay.
- “The game offers a fair amount of replayability if you're interested in collecting all the health tokens or exploring buildings you might have missed.”
- “While the game may not have an abundance of replayability, its length compared to the price makes it a worthwhile experience.”
- “If you're keen on revisiting the game to uncover hidden elements or complete your collection, there's enough content to keep you engaged.”
- “Unless you wanted to go back and collect all the health tokens or explore buildings you might have ignored, I wouldn't say the game has a ton of replayability. However, length-wise compared to the price, I would say it's a fair bargain.”
- “[Puzzles generally aren't challenging and the combat is very one-note. The game is somewhat short and has not much replay value. The odd glitch can be very annoying.]”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report that while serious glitches do occur, they are infrequent, suggesting that the game's stability is generally reliable.